Vintage News · Odd history for January 17

What Happened On January 17

Q: What happened on January 17?

1377: Gregory XI, the last Avignon pope, entered Rome after a four-month journey from Avignon, returning the papacy to its original city. 1998: The Drudge Report became the first news source to break the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal to the public. 1773: On James Cook's second voyage, his vessel HMS Resolution became the first vessel to cross the Antarctic Circle. 1562: Representatives of Catherine de' Medici, the regent of France, drew up the Edict of Saint-Germain, providing limited tolerance to the Protestant Huguenots. 1945: Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who had saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust, was taken into Soviet custody during the Siege of Budapest and was never seen in public again. 1899: The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean. 1873: A group of Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, part of the Modoc War. 1773: Captain James Cook leads the first expedition to sail south of the Antarctic Circle. 1595: During the French Wars of Religion, Henry IV of France declares war on Spain. 1377: Pope Gregory XI reaches Rome, after deciding to move the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon.

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10 odd things that happened on January 17

1377 Oddly true
Gregory XI, the last Avignon pope, entered Rome after a four-month journey from Avignon, returning the papacy to its original city.
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Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1998 First ever
The Drudge Report became the first news source to break the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal to the public.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1773 First ever
On James Cook's second voyage, his vessel HMS Resolution became the first vessel to cross the Antarctic Circle.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1562 Oddly true
Representatives of Catherine de' Medici, the regent of France, drew up the Edict of Saint-Germain, providing limited tolerance to the Protestant Huguenots.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1945 Weird
Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who had saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust, was taken into Soviet custody during the Siege of Budapest and was never seen in public again.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1899 Oddly true
The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1873 First ever
A group of Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, part of the Modoc War.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1773 First ever
Captain James Cook leads the first expedition to sail south of the Antarctic Circle.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1595 Oddly true
During the French Wars of Religion, Henry IV of France declares war on Spain.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1377 Oddly true
Pope Gregory XI reaches Rome, after deciding to move the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2026Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 crashed near Mount Bulusaraung in South Sulawesi, after losing contact en route to Makassar. Wikipedia →
2023An avalanche strikes Nyingchi, Tibet, killing 28 people. Wikipedia →
2017The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is announced to be suspended. Wikipedia →
2016President Barack Obama announces the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement intended to limit Iran's nuclear program. Wikipedia →
2013Former cyclist Lance Armstrong confesses to his doping in an airing of Oprah's Next Chapter. Wikipedia →
2013Shahzad Luqman is murdered by members of Golden Dawn in Petralona, Athens, leading the creation of new measures to combat race-based attacks in Greece. Wikipedia →
2010Rioting begins between Muslim and Christian groups in Jos, Nigeria, results in at least 200 deaths. Wikipedia →
2008British Airways Flight 38 crashes short of the runway at Heathrow Airport, injuring 47. Wikipedia →
2007The Doomsday Clock is set to five minutes to midnight in response to North Korea's nuclear testing. Wikipedia →
2002Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people. Wikipedia →
1998Clinton–Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on his Drudge Report website. Wikipedia →
1997Cape Canaveral Air Force Station: A Delta II carrying the GPS IIR-1 satellite explodes 13 seconds after launch, dropping 250 tons of burning rocket remains around the launch pad. Wikipedia →
1996The Czech Republic applies for membership in the European Union. Wikipedia →
1995The 6.9 Mw Great Hanshin earthquake shakes the southern Hyōgo Prefecture with a maximum Shindo of 7, leaving 5,502–6,434 people dead, and 251,301–310,000 displaced. Wikipedia →
1994The 6.7 Mw Northridge earthquake shakes the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 57 people dead and more than 8,700 injured. Wikipedia →
1992During a visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologizes for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery during World War II. Wikipedia →
1991Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning as aircraft strike positions across Iraq, it is also the first major combat sortie for the F-117. LCDR Scott Speicher's F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-81 is shot down by a Mig-25 and is the first American casualty of the War. Iraq fires eight Scud missiles into Israel in an unsuccessful bid to provoke Israeli retaliation. Wikipedia →
1991Crown Prince Harald of Norway becomes King Harald V, following the death of his father, King Olav V. Wikipedia →
1989Patrick Purdy opens fire at an elementary school in Stockton, California, killing five and wounding 31 others. Wikipedia →
1981President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos lifts martial law eight years and five months after declaring it. Wikipedia →
1977Capital punishment in the United States resumes after a ten-year hiatus, as convicted murderer Gary Gilmore is executed by firing squad in Utah. Wikipedia →
1969Black Panther Party members Bunchy Carter and John Huggins are killed during a meeting in Campbell Hall on the campus of UCLA. Wikipedia →
1966Palomares incident: A B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, killing seven airmen, and dropping three 70-kiloton nuclear bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea. Wikipedia →
1961U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the "military–industrial complex" as well as the dangers of massive spending, especially deficit spending. Wikipedia →
1961Former Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba is murdered together with former Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of the Congo Maurice Mpolo and former Senator from Kasai Province Joseph Okito in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the governments of Belgium and the United States. Wikipedia →
1950The Great Brink's Robbery: Eleven thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car company's offices in Boston. Wikipedia →
1950United Nations Security Council Resolution 79 relating to arms control is adopted. Wikipedia →
1948The Renville Agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesia is ratified. Wikipedia →
1946The UN Security Council holds its first session. Wikipedia →
1945World War II: The Vistula–Oder Offensive forces German troops out of Warsaw. Wikipedia →
1945The SS-Totenkopfverbände begin the evacuation of the Auschwitz concentration camp as the Red Army closes in. Wikipedia →
1945Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is taken into Soviet custody while in Hungary; he is never publicly seen again. Wikipedia →
1944World War II: Allied forces launch the first of four assaults on Monte Cassino with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome, an effort that would ultimately take four months and cost 105,000 Allied casualties. Wikipedia →
1943World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis captures the 200-ton sailing vessel Agios Stefanos and mans her with part of her crew. Wikipedia →
1941Franco-Thai War: Vichy French forces inflict a decisive defeat over the Royal Thai Navy. Wikipedia →
1920Alcohol Prohibition begins in the United States as the Volstead Act goes into effect. Wikipedia →
1918Finnish Civil War: The first serious battles take place between the Red Guards and the White Guard. Wikipedia →
1917The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands. Wikipedia →
1915Russia defeats Ottoman Turkey in the Battle of Sarikamish during the Caucasus Campaign of World War I. Wikipedia →
1912British polar explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen. Wikipedia →
1904Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard receives its premiere performance at the Moscow Art Theatre. Wikipedia →
1903El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as the Luquillo Forest Reserve. Wikipedia →
1899The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean. Wikipedia →
1893Lorrin A. Thurston, along with the Citizens' Committee of Public Safety, led the Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani. Wikipedia →
1885A British force defeats a large Dervish army at the Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan. Wikipedia →
1873A group of Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, part of the Modoc War. Wikipedia →
1852The United Kingdom signs the Sand River Convention with the South African Republic. Wikipedia →
1811Mexican War of Independence: In the Battle of Calderón Bridge, a heavily outnumbered Spanish force of 6,000 troops defeats nearly 100,000 Mexican revolutionaries. Wikipedia →
1799Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed. Wikipedia →
1781American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cowpens: Continental troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeat British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton at the battle in South Carolina. Wikipedia →
1773Captain James Cook leads the first expedition to sail south of the Antarctic Circle. Wikipedia →
1649The Second Ormonde Peace creates an alliance between the Irish Royalists and Confederates during the War of the Three Kingdoms. The coalition was then decisively defeated during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Wikipedia →
1648England's Long Parliament passes the "Vote of No Addresses", breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War. Wikipedia →
1608Emperor Susenyos I of Ethiopia surprises an Oromo army at Ebenat; his army reportedly kills 12,000 Oromo at the cost of 400 of his men. Wikipedia →
1595During the French Wars of Religion, Henry IV of France declares war on Spain. Wikipedia →
1562France grants religious toleration to the Huguenots in the Edict of Saint-Germain. Wikipedia →
1524Giovanni da Verrazzano sets sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean. Wikipedia →
1377Pope Gregory XI reaches Rome, after deciding to move the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon. Wikipedia →
1362Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on the shores of the North Sea. Wikipedia →
38 BCOctavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2025The Guardian
Israeli cabinet ratifies ceasefire deal with Hamas
Agreement earlier approved by the security cabinet will pause 15-month war in Gaza for an initial six weeks
Read on The Guardian →
2016The Guardian
Don't get too excited about the cooling housing market – the cost of loans is skyrocketing
The latest housing finance figures reveal a dramatic drop in investor housing loans. But first-time buyers remain a s…
Read on The Guardian →
2002The New York Times · Front page
Hospital Says Two Died in Nitrous Oxide Mistake
Officials at Hospital of St Raphael in New Haven say that two women died there over last week after they were acciden…
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.